SSSS.GRIDMAN Info and Images From Pony Canyon and Tsuburaya Pro

SciFi Japan previews the new anime series SSSS.GRIDMAN with information and pics direct from Tsuburaya Productions and Pony Canyon! Image courtesy of Pony Canyon. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©2018 TRIGGER, AKIRA AMEMIYA/ GRIDMAN PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM

Source: Pony Canyon, Tsuburaya Productions
Official Site: gridman.net (Japan)
Special Thanks to Toshiya Kitabayashi

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Tsuburaya Productions and sales agent Pony Canyon have provided SciFi Japan with an update for their upcoming anime series, SSSS.GRIDMAN (SSSS.グリッドマン, SSSS.Guriddoman). The show will air in Japan on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS11 beginning this October. Funimation has licensed the series for North America, with the English dub scheduled to stream on FunimationNow this fall. SSSS.GRIDMAN is an animated adaptation of the 1993 live-action series GRIDMAN THE HYPER AGENT (電光超人グリッドマン, Denkō Chōjin Guriddoman), which was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tsuburaya Productions. The "SSSS" from the anime`s title is taken from the initials for SUPERHUMAN SAMURAI SYBER-SQUAD (1994-95), the Americanized version of the original show.

The new version of Gridman was designed by Masayuki Goto of Tsuburaya Productions, and voiced by original Gridman voice actor Hikaru Midorikawa. The show`s protagonists -- Yuta Hibiki (voice actor: Hirose Yuya), Sho Utsumi (Soma Saito), Rikka Takarada (Yume Miyamoto) and Akane Shinjo (Reina Ueda) -- were designed by Masaru Sakamoto. The villain, Alexis Kerib, will be voiced by Tetsu Inada and was designed by Shigeto Koyama, who is known for working on Baymax from Disney`s BIG HERO 6 (2014).

SSSS.GRIDMAN was directed by Akira Amemiya (INFERNO COP, PANTY & STOCKING WITH GARTERBELT) and written by Keiichi Hasegawa (ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT, ULTRAMAN NEXUS, ULTRASEVEN X). The music is by Shiro Sagisu, the composer known for his scores to SHIN GODZILLA (Shin Gojira, 2016) and the EVANGELION franchise. Sound supervision is by Toshiki Kameyama and sound effects are being done by Eiko Morikawa who worked on the original GRIDMAN THE HYPER AGENT series.

The world premiere of Episode 1 was held Friday, July 6 at North America`s largest anime event, Anime Expo 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Over 3,000 anime fans gathered to catch the latest work from the popular anime studio, Trigger. Once the show began, the fans seemed to have held onto their excitement as many began to cheer during the action-packed battle scenes. After the screening, a Q&A session was held with Masaru Sakamoto and Trigger staff members who worked on the show. The second promotional video, broadcast information, main cast and additional cast were also announced.

The SSSS.GRIDMAN world premiere was covered by the virtual YouTuber SIRO, a multi-lingual girl who streams videos daily of her trying different challenges. SIRO has appeared on many TV shows and idol events in Japan. Pony Canyon will preview the series for Japanese press and licensees at an invitation-only screening on Tuesday, July 17. Episodes 1 and 2 will be shown at the Pony Canyon 1F Event Space in Minato, Tokyo. The first public screening in Japan will take place on Wednesday, July 25 during the "SSSS.GRIDMAN Special Night" at the ULTRAMAN FESTIVAL 2018.

CREDITS

Airing in Japan: October 2018
Broadcasting Stations: Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11

Staff
Director: Akira Amemiya
Writer: Keiichi Hasegawa
Gridman Design: Masayuki Goto (Tsuburaya Productions)
Character Design: Masaru Sakamoto Alexis
Design: Shigeto Koyama
Sound Supervision: Toshiki Kameyama<
Sound Effects: Eiko Moriyama
Music: Shiro Sagisu
Music Production: Pony Canyon
Opening Song: "UNION" by OxT
Ending Song: "youthful beautiful" by Maaya Uchida

Cast
Yuta Hibiki: Hirose Yuya
Gridman: Hikaru Midorikawa
Sho Utsumi: Soma Saito
Rikka Takarada: Yume Miyamoto
Akane Shinjo: Reina Ueda
Alexis Kerib: Tetsu Inada

Production: Tsuburaya Productions
Animation: Trigger
World Sales: Pony Canyon

About Pony Canyon Inc.

Pony Canyon has been at the forefront of Japan`s video entertainment industry. Pony Canyon also develops digital software, utilizing the latest interactive and multimedia technology. Pony Canyon is a part of the Fuji Media Holdings Inc. which is Japan`s largest and influential media conglomerate.

About Tsuburaya Productions

Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. has created dozens of heroes and other characters, including Ultraman, who have been loved from generation to generation. The base for the company was Tsuburaya Visual Effects Research, which was launched by the Japanese “Father of Special Effects” Eiji Tsuburaya. After showing his skill and making a name for himself working on many monster movies and special effects laden fantasy science films, in 1963 Tsuburaya incorporated Tsuburaya Visual Effects Research and established Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. in order to advance further research and development of special effects technologies and release visual works that could be enjoyed by a wider audience. The company has continued to maintain Eiji Tsuburaya’s policies even after his death. 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding, and it continues its work to this day. Currently, the company carries out activities including production of works for television, original video works, and films for theatrical release; licensing of owned characters’ content; development of various products; event planning and live staged events that bring out the maximum appeal of its owned characters, and development of facilities that handle related items.

For more information on SSSS.GRIDMAN, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: